The Government has distributed over Sh8.8 billion to all regional hospitals for the renovation of buildings in a project aimed at raising the hospitals' status to referral centres.

Health and Social Welfare Minister David Mwakyusa said yesterday the Government had already started implementing plans to improve all main regional health centres to meet the growing demand for referral hospitals.

There are only four referral hospitals throughout the country, namely Muhimbili in Dar es Salaam, Bugando in Mwanza Region, KCKM in Moshi and Mbeya Referral Hospital.

Monday, 29 December 2008

From IPPMedia, Dar es SalaamBy Grace Chilongola, MwanzaMwanza City authorities have failed to monitor the clean-up of Kirumba International Fish Market after the seven-day altumatum they were given by Livestock Development and Fisheries minister John Magufuli, elapsed.

In a survey carried out by this paper, it has been observed that the market was still dirty despite the pledge by Mwanza City deputy mayor John Minja to the minister that it would be clean within seven days from the day the minister gave the order.

Seven days elapsed on December 18, but this paper observed that the market area was full of cobwebs, which irked Magufuli.

Sunday, 28 December 2008

Dickson Kiligo has never felt as terrified ever since he was born with albinism in Dar es Salaam 18 yeas ago like he did this year.

Albinism refers to abnormal pigmentation in the body hair, skin or eyes resulting from a defective melanin synthesis.

For months now, this fairly common condition has been the cause of deadly fear in Kagera, Mara, Mwanza and Shinyanga regions of Tanzania, with people living with it targeted for witchcraft-associated killing.

Saturday, 27 December 2008

Over 100 mothers of under-five-year-old children suffering from malnutrition in Sangabuye and Kabusungu villages in Mwanza municipality are undergoing a four-day training in nutrition that is being carried out by Plan Tanzania through its Mwanza Programme Unit.

The training is a result of a survey that was undertaken in the region by the organization, which found out that 8.7 per cent of children below the age of five were malnourished, hence high mortality rates among them.

"This was a serious concern and this is why Plan Tanzania has decided to conduct such training so as to tackle poor diet among the under-fives in the region," said Sophia Mhonzwa, a micro-nutrients point person with Plan Mwanza.

A young man raised some commotion on a Dar es Salaam - Mwanza flight recently when it transpired after the plane landed that he had switched on his mobile phone on several occasions during the flight. He sat next to a woman with an infant.

Apparently having reached her tolerance limit, she asked him whether it was the first time he had flown on a plane, and asked him not to ever switch on his phone during a flight. The woman’s husband then joined to repeat the same words close to the face of the young man. The couple were travelling with four children.

The proposed acquisition of a majority interest in Savings & Finance Commercial Bank (S&F) marks NIC Bank’s first cross-border acquisition and underlines the Board’s growth strategy for expansion in the region. Following the imminent completion of the transaction, S&F will become a 51 percent-owned subsidiary of NIC Bank.

NIC Bank’s Chairman James Ndegwa said that the acquisition will complement the Bank’s organic growth as evidenced by the current rollout of a branch expansion strategy across Kenya. “This has been supported by the funding from the successful rights issue in November 2007 that raised Sh1.2 billion,” said Mr Ndegwa.

NIC Bank’s Managing Director James Macharia indicated that this transaction will enhance the Bank’s competitive position in the region, diversify its business and enhance services to its cross-border customers. “S&F is a natural partner for our growth and diversification efforts as it has reported steady growth and profitability.

In addition, its shareholders and directors have significant experience in the Tanzanian financial sector and this will definitely strengthen our competitive position,” said Mr Macharia.

Savings & Finance Commercial Bank was founded as a non-bank financial institution in 1994, converted to a fully-fledged Commercial Bank in 2005 and has branches in Dar es Salaam, Mwanza and Arusha.

Scania will officially introduce its new version of trucks here today. The event will take place at a Flying Cargo Limited yard.

The Arusha branch manager of Scania Tanzania Limited, Mr Amin Karim, told The Citizen that the new generation trucks were consuming less fuel and had low gas emissions.

They also have a gear box called opti cruise which ensures less wear and tear for the vehicle and exhaust gas remission engines with limited gas emissions. According to him, since August this year a 62 such trucks have been imported into the country and that 33 of them have been delivered to local transport firms.

Scania (T) Limited has been operating in Tanzania since the early 1970s, selling trucks and buses, heavy duty industrial and marine engines as well as spare parts.

It has its main office along Nyerere Road in Dar es Salaam, with outlets for spares and services at the Ubungo bus terminal in Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Mwanza.

Sunday, 21 December 2008

Bulyanhulu Gold Mine workers and their families have donated 67 litres of blood to the Tanzania Safe Blood Bank project, as part of their celebrations to mark the second family day.

The Bulyanhulu Safety and Occupational Health Superintendent, Dr Ghuhen Mtaita, said yesterday the workers volunteered to donate blood to save some patients in need of blood across the Lake zone area. “We intended to get 100 litres of blood.

A study to establish genetic factors leading to variations in HIV/AIDS infections will start next month, a senior scientist and Regional Director for the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) in Mwanza region, Dr John Changalucha, has said.

Dr Changalucha told the 'Daily News' yesterday in a telephone interview that the study would involve local experts in collaboration with foreign medical practitioners from the UK, Italy and France. They arrive in the country next month.

Thursday, 18 December 2008

Over 2,500 pieces of fishing tools have been surrendered to authorities in Mwanza Region ahead of a crackdown on illegal fishing operators and anglers on Lake Victoria.

The crackdown which comes into effect next month, will be concurrently implemented in Kenya and Uganda. Regional fisheries adviser Angelius Mahatane told The Citizen that 226 of the surrendered fishing tools were beach seines popularly known as 'makokoro'.

Other surrendered items were 1,991 undersize gillnets and 334 monofilaments also known as 'timba', all blamed for destruction of fish resources in the lake.

Ingo Schluter Marine Consultants has won the bid to provide consultancy services for the repair of MV Pamba.

According to a notice from the Procurement and Disposal Unit of the Privatisation Unit dated December 12, the firm will provide the service at 110,100 euros (about 297.2m) Taxes estimated at 19,29.41 euros (about sh52.4m), would be paid by the Government, the notice added.

MV Pamba is Uganda’s only remaining vessel on the Central Corridor route on Lake Victoria linking Uganda’s Port Bell to Mwanza in Tanzania and Kisumu in Kenya.

Tuesday, 16 December 2008

Women Legal Aid Centre (WLAC), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has expressed its disappointment over a low pace by state organs in tackling killings of albinos. WLAC Executive Director Scholastica Jullu yesterday issued a statement criticising police and other state organs for being slow in arresting and prosecuting the suspects.

“It is surprising to see perpetrators of these killings walking comfortably while albinos are living in fear," she said in the statement. Ms Jullu said the media was awash with reports of the killings. “We are, however, yet to witness legal action and results like conviction of those involved," she added.

WLAC has described the killings of albinos as something beyond normal violation of human rights, calling on NGOs, government organs and other stakeholders to join forces in fighting the vice. She said the state organs appear to be taking other murder incidents more seriously than those involving albinos.

The ruthless killings have caused widespread apprehension in Tanzania's albino community, and those who can afford are moving to urban centres where they feel safer. More than 60 albino children are currently staying at a school near Mwanza to ensure protection against assailants.

The new East African Federation will break down if countries continue to chase national ahead of regional interests, the former Secretary General of the East African Community, Mr Amanya Mushega, has said.

Addressing participants at a workshop to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the International Law Institute (ILI) in Kampala yesterday, Mr Mushega said, “Once national interests have been formed, there is a problem in running regional organisation.”

“We (Uganda) closed the Mwanza route until there was chaos in Kenya and we realised we needed a route to Tanzania,” Mr Mushega said.

Sunday, 14 December 2008

Over quarter a million people in Tanzania mainland are in a moderate food insecure group, the estimated food security conditions for the 4th quarter 2008 (October-December) by the Famine Early Warning System has revealed.

They include small scale farmers, pastoralists and fishing households from ten districts in the capital city-Dodoma, Mwanza City, Singida and Shinyanga regions.

Fishing households facing the food insecurity are those situated around the shores of Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika and the basins of Kagera, Rufiji, Ruvuma and Pangani rivers.

According to the report published ahead of the next crop harvest season scheduled in February, moderate food insecurity is due to the effects of the 2008 short rains failure, below normal performance of the long rains, increasing transport costs, and above normal increases in food prices.

Friday, 12 December 2008

Precision Air has announced new measures to help it cope with the growing number of passengers.The measures announced by the airline's senior officials in Dar es Salaam yesterday will see the airline filling the vacuum of air transport needs created by Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL).The vacuum has come after Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) revoked ATCL of its airworthiness license, rendering the state-owned airline incapable of making local and international flights.

Thursday, 11 December 2008

Mara Regional Commissioner Issa Machibya has urged people living in Nile basin to join efforts being made internationally to protect the area against environmental destruction. Opening a one-day workshop for elders from Kagera, Mara and Mwanza, the RC urged the participants to use their knowledge, experience and influence to enhance the on-going- campaign against environmental hazards and other challenges facing the Nile basin, which is shared by equatorial African countries.

The elders most of them senior retired civil servants met at Afrilux Hotel in Musoma where they were informed of Nile basin development, the move that sought to enlist their participation. The workshop was organised by the national Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) office.

After only one year of its existence in Mwanza, the College of Business Education (CBE) Mwanza Campus, has managed to acquire about 20 hectares of land at Kiseke suburb, where the institution plans to build its own structures. The CBE Mwanza campus is currently located in the city centre's buildings, belonging to Nyanza Co-operative Union (NCU) which has simply rented them out to the former on a 10-year fixed term contract, effective December, 2007.

The CBE Management, however, told Deputy Minister for Industry, Trade and Mdarketing, Dr, Cyril Chami here over the weekend that it owes money to the tune of a whopping 170m/- to Mwanza City Council for the institution to be able to start developing the area as planned. "Considering the astronomical costs, the College hereby makes a humble request, to your ministry in particular and government at large, for a helping hand in clearing part of the debts", the CBE Principal, Dr Waycliffe Lugoe pleaded.

The handball championship tournament will be held in Mwanza starting in the middle of February next year, it has been revealed. Tanzania Handball Association (TAHA) Deputy Secretary General Nicolas Mihayo yesterday told this paper that exact dates for the competition would be announced later.

Mihayo promised this tournament to be quite different from the one they had early this year when players were the ones watching their own games. “I know this year very few teams turned up and also people never showed any interest of watching games, but this time around, it will be a whole new episode.

Sunday, 7 December 2008

In the three months since the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) seized property and bank accounts belonging to Alstom Power Rentals Limited LLC, no breakthrough has been reached in recovering the staggering 14bn/- in back taxes.

Early this year, a whistleblower revealed the American energy company had evaded taxes for its operations in Mwanza City, prompting the TRA to seize the company's assets - Electricity Power Generating Plant - under a walking possession agreement, in which the assets are not removed from the debtor's property but are legally signed over to the debt collector, in this case the TRA.

It is good news for holiday makers and businessmen. A Tanzanian owned passenger vessel is plying the Port Bell -Mwanza route weekly. Uganda last had a passenger vessel to Mwanza three years ago. That is because Ugandan owned ships MV Pamba and MV Kaawa have been grounded since 2005, while MV Kabalega rots away in the lake after a 2005 accident.

The reluctance by the government to restore the two vessels has effectively killed Uganda’s southern import/export route through Mwanza and Dar es Salaam, putting more pressure on the eastern route through the congested port of Mombasa, which increases transport costs and turn-around time for Ugandans.

Eight Regional Chairmen of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) have sued the editor, printers and publishers of Mwanahalisi Newspaper, demanding a total of 4bn/- for defamation. They are Deo Sanga from Iringa, Clement Mabina from Mwanza, Khamis Mgeja from Shinyanga, John Guninita from Dar es Salaam, Nawab Mullah from Mbeya, Onesmo Ngole from Arusha,William Kusila from Dodoma and Hypolitus Matete from Rukwa.

Through advocate Abduel Kitururu, the political party regional leaders filed the suit at the High Court in Dar es Salaam. It will be mentioned on February 3, next year before Judge Aisha Nyerere. All five defendants have been ordered to file their defence on December 16, while the plaintiffs (CCM leaders) would respond on January 6.

Tuesday, 2 December 2008

As Tanzania joined other countries in the world to commemorate World Aids Day yesterday, infection rate in Mwanza region has dropped from 9.2 per cent last year to 7 this year. A brief report on HIV/Aids voluntary testing, conducted here between December, 2007 and in May this year, suggests that while Magu district is leading with 1,881 people infected with HIV, an infection rate is 11.1 per cent.

According to the report, Ukerewe district has probably the lowest infection rate which currently stands at 3.9 per cent only. The report says that during the testing campaign, a total of 35,678 peole in Ukerewe district examined their health status, and 1,413 of them tested positive.